Logos are everywhere – and rightly so. There is no more memorable and permanent way to establish an identity with a target audience – in your case, patients.

The enduring Ford Motor Company logo (recognized worldwide) was created by a professional designer working from a penmanship exercise Henry Ford himself did when he was in high school.

But note, I said professional designer. That’s the key. The rub comes when you avoid paying a pro who creates logos as a business and turn instead to someone you know: a patient, your hygienist with artistic aspirations, your sister-in-law, some kid you know attending art school or worst of all – your own child. Now, we’re weaving social and other relationships into the mix of something that represents your professional image.

Then, if you decide the new logo design is unacceptable, you risk losing a patient or a friend, or alienating someone you love. But if you feel socially compelled to accept and use that logo, the results can be disastrous. And you’re stuck with it – if not for the life of your practice, at least for a long, long while.

Some practitioners have special needs that only a seasoned professional can respond to. If your name is Dr. Payne or Dr. Hurtt or is difficult to spell, extra special attention must be given to the logo. Or perhaps the practice should be given a name of its own and the doctor’s downplayed.

Go to a designer who is an amateur or otherwise not quite up to the task and the results can be hilarious or humiliating – depending on how you look at it.

These logo examples amply illustrate my point:

Here’s a sign for a dental practice in a Spanish-speaking location. Obviously the designer was trying to show a Doctor attending to a patient in the chair. However, looking at the picture, dentistry might not be the first thing that comes to mind.

Here we have the heart-warming logo for a pediatric center.

At least, that’s what we’re supposed to have. Unfortunately, some may instead think of pedophilia – hardly a good connotation for a children’s medical center.

Sometimes words alone in a logo can cause distress. Here, the clever designer was clearly trying to mimic the highly successful Toys-R-Us® and Kids-R-Us® logos. The store’s name is “Kids’ Exchange.” But mash all the letters together, and it sure reads like “Kid Sex Change.” My, what a logo to put up in lights!

Here at Hycomb, we’ve been the gateway to a great many highly successful logos for a great many highly successful dentists. And if you don’t think the first effort works for you, tell us so. It won’t break our hearts. After all – we’re professionals.

Melinda Spitek is CEO of Hycomb Marketing Inc. Hycomb is an authority in marketing for dentists. Melinda has had plenty of hands-on experience as well, having worked 23 years in dental offices. For help with marketing, just call Hycomb at (800) 523-6961 or visit www.hycomb.com.

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